[Magdalen] The Grackles are back, the Grackles are back...

[Jay Weigel]

Maybe the reason ours stay around all year is that we provide Nyjer thistle
seed in winter :-)

On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 12:05 PM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
wrote:

> My house finches arrived a little ahead of the goldfinches this year. At
> least one of the goldfinches has figured out the upside-down finch
> feeder--they're a little slow to catch on this year.
> I learned last year that the reason they nest and lay their eggs in the
> summer is so that will coincide with the blooming of the thistles. Thistle
> seed makes up a large part of their diet.
>
> > On Feb 26, 2017, at 11:27 AM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Our goldfinches stay year round now (they didn't when I first moved
> here).
> > You can tell spring is coming when they boys turn bright gold, which they
> > have now. The house finches haven't arrived back yet, though, nor have we
> > seen any rose-breasted grosbeaks. sure signs of spring as they stop by on
> > their flight northwards.
> >
> > On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 10:16 AM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
> > magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> In a message dated 2/26/2017 9:21:59 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
> >> gracecan at gmail.com writes:
> >>
> >> There's  a single Great Blue Heron that lives on the pond next door. A
> few
> >> weeks ago he  landed in one of my holly trees! By the time I got my
> camera,
> >> he was  gone.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> >>
> >>
> >> Though some of the Asian hollies do well here in NE Pennsylvania,
> >> the American Holly trees only survive in the sheltered valleys.   There
> >> are some beauties of the latter in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton down
> >> in the Susquehanna Valley.  I suppose now that it is generally
> >> warmer, it would be worth a try.  English Holly is simply too  tender
> >> for our climate.
> >>
> >> Great Blue Herons were common summer visitors to our lake in
> >> the Upper Midwest, and the early riser, probably awakened by the
> >> resident House Wrens, was often rewarded by seeing the herons
> >> fishing just offshore in front of the cabin.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> David S.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
>